(LOS ANGELES) — Cee Lo Green’s unexpected announcement Wednesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he won’t be returning to NBC’s The Voice as a coach may have surprised fans and fellow judges alike — but a source tells TheWrap insiders saw it coming.

“Green’s decision to quit was a move to avoid being fired by NBC and producer Mark Burnett Productions,” the website reports, quoting an “individual with knowledge of the situation.”

The move came after a fifth season during which the performer suffered “at least one meltdown,” and was asked to leave the set on two occasions.

In October, the “F— You” singer was charged with slipping the drug Ecstasy to an unidentified 33-year-old woman while the two were eating at a Los Angeles restaurant in 2012; the pair later went back to the woman’s hotel. Green has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

In early November, an international diving expedition set out from […]Thu, Dec 08, 2016Headlines

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